CHEFS

Perfection and Method

Hans van Wolde

Beluga

Belgium

Hans Van Wolde is a culinary composer who blends eating and thinking with an eccentric and imaginative touch.

‘We bring the best food from the heart, and that's what I like’

“Come in! Don't be scared!” That's how you get greeted into Hans van Wolde's world by the chief himself, who shows around the inner workings of his kitchen among ovens, grills and pans. The regal quality of his famous cuisine combines perfectly with his chilled and friendly disposition, topped by a twist of unconventionality which makes Hans even more interesting to examine.

He opened his restaurant Beluga – two Michelin stars - with his wife Danielle in 1997 and before that he gained experience in the Taverne d'Ouwe Haven in Vlaardingen, World Trade Center in Rotterdam, Cuisine Royal Army Officer, Elysee Parkhotel in Nieuwerkerk, Corona in The Hague, and Toine Hermsen in Maastricht – all experiences which fuelled his creativity and delicate taste to develop his intricate and intriguing style.

The best way to describe Hans' work is that of a painter – the perfection of the blend of European cuisine is matched with aesthetics inspired by the city's history or natural environment, like its mosaics and Hans' culinary adaption into a perfectly adorned dish, or the design of a plate inspired by the landscape and hills where the mushrooms he prepares in his kitchen are found.

His childlike excitement in cooking shines through the original dishes he composes and his wider knowledge of the surroundings and the influences one can embrace in this craft, truly make turn him into an inspiration himself.